3 days in SF - need suggestions!!

Greetings,My husband and I are planning a road trip up to the bay area in a couple weeks.

Would love your chowhound dining suggestions, as we'd like to avoid the overrated chains & tourist traps. We'll be staying in the financial district and would appreciate suggestions for good Italian, French, dim sum, breakfast, and pastries/coffee. Also would love to find a special romantic spot for us to celebrate our anniversary.

Gail Simmons gives us her list of pantry must-haves. Ingredients you should always have around to enhance and boost the flavor of all your meals. It's the little things that keep life interesting. Read more here.

Chefs Joanne Chang and Karen Akunowicz from Myers + Chang in Boston, show us how to use lemongrass. It's the central ingredient in their Green Monster, infusing the stir-fry with unique bright, citrusy, and floral-herbal fragrance. Read more.